Tony Armstrong delivered a parting shot at the ABC on Friday morning when he presented his very last show on ABC News Breakfast.
The TV star – widely regarded as the golden boy of public broadcasting – announced last week that he is stepping down from his role after three years.
But his time at ABC was somewhat marred this week when Armstrong was called out on his own network for doing voiceovers for insurance company NRMA while working on the program.
Janine Perrett announced Armstrong’s appearance on Media Watch on Monday evening.
During his final show on Friday, his co-stars gave him flowers and a large can of coffee before Armstrong joked that he didn’t want to name the coffee brand.
‘We’re not going to mention the brand… Actually I don’t care, I’m already done with Media Watch – Nescafe!’ Armstrong joked.
Armstrong also said his time at the ABC had been a “whirlwind” before admitting it had been a “funny old week”.
‘Mixed feelings. You can see it in my body language: I don’t like to talk about myself, despite having a career where I’m in front of a camera,” he said as he bid farewell to viewers.
Tony Armstrong delivered a parting shot at the ABC on Friday morning when he presented his very last show on the ABC News Breakfast
“It’s been such a whirlwind three years. Believe it or not, I was nervous when I started.”
‘It didn’t take long. But hey, that wasn’t that long ago. And yes, News Breakfast basically gave me everything. It’s given me… It’s given me a joy ride!’
“I wouldn’t be in the position I’m in now to be able to leave on my own terms and into whatever comes next,” Armstrong added.
‘I don’t know exactly what it is yet… I’m very grateful to everyone watching and everyone who has said such nice things to me over the course of this week.
‘It’s been a funny old week. But yes, people have been very nice to me.’
Armstrong ended by saying he was going to miss his “News Breakfast family.”
The star was called out by the ABC earlier this week on the network’s Media Watch programme, during which it was revealed he did voiceovers for an insurance company while working on the News Breakfast programme.
During his final show, Armstrong’s co-stars gave him flowers and a large can of coffee before Armstrong joked that he didn’t want to mention the coffee brand
Media critic Perrett revealed on Monday that Armstrong, 34, has been the voice of NRMA Insurance advertising since July.
Perrett, Media Watch’s stand-in presenter, said it was ‘astonishing’ that Armstrong had failed to gain approval from the broadcaster before landing the new gig.
“It’s a shame that this undeclared work comes at the expense of the integrity of the ABC, which we talk about in its final week on News Breakfast,” Perrett said.
“Tony is arguably one of ABC’s biggest stars,” she added.
‘Not only is he on the breakfast couch watching TV, he can also be seen in a new sports show in the evening. He is one of many featured in ABC News promos and is the face of a new five-part series.
“So we were stunned when we got confirmation that Tony was also selling an insurance company.”
Armstrong also said his time at the ABC had been a “whirlwind” before admitting it had been a “funny old week”
The ABC’s editorial policy states that any outside work by a high-profile presenter is not prohibited but is considered ‘very high risk’.
The ABC told Media Watch that his voiceover work was done without his knowledge and was due to a ‘misunderstanding with Tony’s external representation’.
‘They have been provided with a copy of the external working guidelines and have been reminded that all ABC employees must comply with these. Tony is a highly valued employee and has the full support of the ABC,” the broadcaster said.
A bewildered Perrett replied: “A misunderstanding?”
“How an ABC reporter can cover a commercial for one of Australia’s biggest brands and not think this is a conflict is beyond us.
“If this isn’t a violation of the remote work guidelines, which state that you must seek approval from the top, we don’t know what is.”
Media Watch said Armstrong did not respond to its request for comment.
Armstrong was called out by the ABC on Monday on the network’s Media Watch programme, during which he revealed he did voiceovers for an insurance company while working on the News Breakfast programme.
The segment sparked intense debate Tuesday morning, even as Armstrong remained silent and did not say a word about the criticism of his own TV show.
KIIS FM radio presenters Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson defended Armstrong’s decision to take on an extra gig while at the ABC.
‘What difference does it make? What is their mantra? Work here and don’t make money anywhere else,” Jackie said on KIIS FM’s show The Kyle and Jackie O.
Kyle agreed, adding, “Yeah, forever be a wipe that no one watches on TV… it’s such a miserable joint to work out.”
Armstrong prompted an outpouring of well wishes from his colleagues when he announced his departure last week.
In a heartfelt statement, he said he hopes he can return to his show as a guest.
“I’ve been pretty nervous about doing this,” Tony confirmed.
Media critic Perrett revealed Armstrong has been the voice of NRMA Insurance advertising since July. She said it was ‘astonishing’ that Armstrong had failed to get approval from the broadcaster before landing the new gig
‘I stopped working at Nieuws Brekkie and my last day is October 4.
“I just want to thank everyone – all of you, my colleagues, everyone behind the camera, all the producers, all the people who are also watching and coming out on the street and saying G’day and all that kind of stuff,” he continued.
“Um, yeah, it’s been a whirlwind of three and a few years, a lot has happened, it feels like I’ve been on some sort of rocket ship, but the support I’ve received from News Brekkie and the news in general has been great.
‘Thank you so much, I’m going to miss the couch – I’m not going to miss the alarm clock, but I’m going to miss the couch – I had so much fun.’